


Some Kind of Attitude

by gelbes_gilatier



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Female Character In Command, Female-Centric, Gen, Humor, Rules
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-02
Updated: 2012-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-20 03:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/580681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gelbes_gilatier/pseuds/gelbes_gilatier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i> “Sometimes I think people are behaving like idiots, just to make that list,” Carter replies, looking a little pained.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Some Kind of Attitude

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ArwenLune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArwenLune/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Things Atlantis Base Personnel Has Been Ordered Not To Do:](https://archiveofourown.org/works/284033) by [ArwenLune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArwenLune/pseuds/ArwenLune). 



> So, for this story, I relied heavily on ArwenLune's wonderful story _[Things Atlantis Base Personnel Has Been Ordered Not To Do:](284033)_ , where the prompt is from. Every other items from the list (everything sounding like a rule in italics. And “+10 Big Booms of Awesome”.) is also from that story and ArwenLune's genius alone. You are one of the best Stargate writers _ever_!
> 
> Anyway, I actually played havoc with her timeline (I'm sorry! It was required to fit the plot, though...) and might have touched her [_Rock Happy_ 'verse](../series/16566), too. If you haven't read it, read it. _Everything_. Because it is awesome.

  **Some Kind of Attitude **  


_“So before you come in here with some kind of attitude  
You better read the house rules.”_

_Christian Kane, “The House Rules”_

Where… where… ah, there it is.

_#8 The appropriate response to a command is not 'Yeahsureyabetcha'_

Mh. She read better ones than that. Her favorite so far this year is still:

_#3 Despite the success of the Summer Solstice event, Command will not authorize the painting of a permanent giant Twister board on the Gate room floor._

But then again, Corporal Leek’s experiment – she still can’t believe he actually even got that cleared with Social Sciences – has been driving them slowly insane those last two weeks. Which was probably his goal to be acquired. She hopes at least he got something out of answering _every damn question and command_ with the aforementioned “yeahsureyabetcha”. If he didn’t, she’s got some interesting suggestions what to do with him for his team leader. And she’s sure that Captain Quinones would appreciate _all_ of them.

Anyway, at least now hopefully no one else will get the idea to try and see how long it’ll take to drive people insane with just one catch phrase or other related idiocies.

“I’m pretty sure they’ll just find something else that’ll make it on that list next week.” _Jesus_ fucking Christ, she really wishes Colonel Carter wouldn’t keep doing that. In fact, _all_ her commanding officers – Carter, Sheppard Lorne – have a tendency to sneak up on junior officers in the most impossible moments one could imagine. Just like now.

And damn her for not finding anything better to say than, “Ma’am?”

“Sometimes I think people are behaving like idiots, just to make that list,” Carter replies, looking a little pained. Well, she would be, too. Thank God so far she’s never been stupid enough to end up on that list. Yet. Ahem.

“You sound as if you already have a new suspect for the list, ma’am.” Mh. That probably wasn’t the best thing to say, actually. Asking your CO things like that could result in unpleasant things.

For example… “Actually, I do.” Uh-oh. From Carter’s grin… “AR-4 had another interteam off-world marriage incident yesterday. I think it’s time to take some action.  
  
She can’t help raising an eyebrow after all. Another off-world marriage and Lee didn’t even tell her about it yet? Pffft. “I’m almost afraid to ask… but what kind of action do you refer to, ma’am?”  
  
What is that face supposed to mean, Colonel Carter? It’s not as if she never demonstrated an ability to speak in anything else than crude Marine. There, that smile, that’s… no, not really better. Actually, it just increases the scariness of Carter’s threat err suggestion. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant, I’m just referring to another addition to the list. And possibly, measures of enforcing whatever we’ll put on there.” Uh-huh. Great. Awesome.

“That sounds like a… great idea, ma’am.” Why does she have a feeling that “measures of enforcing” means nothing like cleaning the restrooms with a toothbrush? And why would anything be scarier than _that_?

“Yep,” Carter says, sounding awfully pleased with herself, “My suggestion would be something like _Senior command is content to let the record for 'most interteam offworld marriages' rest with SG1_. How does that sound?”

Mh. Not so bad, actually. Still, something… “Not bad, ma’am. Definitely to the point.” That is, for everyone else than her Marines. But then again, that might be due to the fact that they’d know _exactly_ what would be meant by that. They would just make it into a contest. Marines make _everything_ into a damn contest.

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” So, now that that’s done… “By the way, did you know that your fellow Marines like to refer to your explosions as, quote “+10 Big Booms of Awesome”?”

Aw, that is actually quite sweet. She’s tempted to say something like “Wonder who put them up to that?” but then again, she’s not in the mood to exposed of doing something today. So, she leaves it at, “They do?”

From the rather dead-pan look on Carter’s face, it’s quite easy to deduce that she should have thought harder about an answer. “That’s nothing to be particularly proud of, Lieutenant.” Uh-huh, yeah, right.

Wait. She _meant_ that? No way. Because she does remember… “Are you sure, ma’am? Because I distinctly remember _someone_ telling me “That was some really innovative use of C4, Lieutenant.” last week on M8U-309. And a couple other planets the weeks before.”

Ah. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea after… “Cheeky, Lieutenant.”

Huh, is Carter _grinning_? Or at least trying very hard _not_ to? People are constantly telling her Colonel Samantha “Renaissance Woman” Carter has a soft spot for unruly, explosions happy Lieutenants with a temper but she never had any reason to believe that. Or at least she told herself so.

Well, there’s only one way to find out, huh. She grins. “I’ll be taking that as a compliment, ma’am.”

It makes Carter actually roll her eyes and shake her head but instead of the expected reprimand, she gets, “You can, if you can bring yourself to work on a research proposal concerning those “+10 Big Booms of Awesome” and have it on my desk by next month.” Uh. What? “Don’t look at me like that. I know that the material concerning explosives is _not_ just Rodney’s work. What did you do to him that he doesn’t mention your contributions?”

She blinks. What the fucking _hell_? _How_ did Carter figure out that she actually made Rodney keep his mouth shut about the fact that most of the experiments were hers because she didn’t want to catch anyone’s attention, knowing they were far from amounting to anything use-worthy? She swallows and tries, “Nothing, I, uh… a research proposal, ma’am?”

Carter nods. “Uh-huh. I’m sure it’s no problem for you. Four weeks should be enough to develop a workable hypothesis and experiment plan, shouldn’t it?”

Yeah, well. “Uh, no, ma’am. Four weeks is fine. I can work with that.”

Another nod, this time just a little bit smug. Huh. “Alright. And if you have any questions… you know where to find me.”

With that, Carter makes her farewell and leaves her standing in the corridor, contemplating what just happened and in the end deciding to go and find Lee to ask her about this marriage thing… and what the hell just happened.

When she sees _In official reports, the terms 'C4' and 'explosives' are sufficient. 'Lt Cadman employed C4 to open the door' rather than 'Lt Cadman caused a +10 Big Boom of Awesome'_ almost a month later and Carter just passes her by and murmurs, “That was Major Lorne’s idea. I think he’s jealous,” with a shrug and a grin, she decides to hand in her research proposal, after all. Maybe Carter really does have that soft spot for her. It’s always worth a try.


End file.
